battering ram
nounEtymology The heads of some battering rams were carved in the shape of a ram, an animal renowned for butting with its head.
1
Historical A heavy object used for battering down walls and gates or a siege engine that includes such an object.
2
A modern device, usually in the form of a metal bar with handles, chiefly used by police and firefighters to force open locked doors.
3
Figuratively Something which acts as a powerful tool against something.
- And in the edition of their party newspaper released last week, [the Tories] pledged to Manitobans that they would continue their battering ram approach this time around.1982 December 11, Frances Russell, “Economic performance buoys Pawley’s position”, in The Vancouver Sun (The Weekend Sun), Vancouver, BC, page A6:
- That was expected, I suppose, because during the Trump era, the GOP was a battering ram against truth and reality.2023 January 6, Peter Wehner, “The GOP Is a Battering Ram Against Truth”, in The Atlantic: